Chapter 13
Fi:
I am running, dousing with my eyes, in
search of our last hope.
"Maltzar!" I call as his life
energy draws closer. I am nearing Lanayru
Province. He is almost at
the rope bridge to the desert. I break from the forest and charge across the Moore, my drapes whipping
behind me. I see him.
"MALTZAR!" He turns. Shock and
confusion light his face at the sight of me.
"Fi?"
"Mal!" I pant, not at all used
to the limitations of my human form. "We need you to come back. Link- he's
trapped and Zelda has been captured!"
"Seriously?" Maltzar scoffs.
"Seems they really can't keep it together without me."
"This is no time to joke." I
snap. "Ghirahim is coming for Link. He could have him as we speak. Vaati
says he's-"
"Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa, Vaati? Since
when was he on the baddies' team?"
"They are getting stronger Mal, more
of them will continue to appear. It would seem Demise is creating an army of
all the legendary tyrants from Hyrule's past. This is only the beginning!
Please, Mal I need you to come."
"Can't Link get out. He always
manages to."
"Not this time." I say. Maltzar
groans angrily.
"I'm a stone's throw away from my
home. My parents could be waiting for me! The answer to my memories is across
this bridge and you want me to come back because of their mistake?" he
fumes. I cannot believe what I am hearing.
"Are you really that selfish?!"
I ask. "Ever since I joined, you have been nothing but a foul mouthed,
hot-headed nuisance!"
"Yeah? Well you certainly seemed to
like it." He growls leaning in on me. I slap him. That felt good. But his
expression wounds me.
"Fi." he breathes softly, his
face like a child's, lonely and hurt. I stand my ground.
"Go find your parents!" I shove
him. "See if I care! You clearly don't. But know this! If you don't come
back, both Link and Zelda will die."
Maltzar is still looking at me like that.
My heart slowly melts. We grab each other at the same time and our lips become
one.
"Where are they?" He breaks
away too soon. Remembering my cause, I lead him back to Faron Forest.
***
When we return to the wreckage of Link's
home, I pull Maltzar into the bushes. Ghirahim turns, his eyes missing us by
inches. Gazing suspiciously in our general direction, I hold my breath and clap
a hand over Maltzar's mouth. The Demon Lord slinks off.
"Hello, dearest." he simpers
sarcastically. We move behind a tree to see. Link is still trapped in a cage of
black shadows, arms gripping every part of him. I can tell he has been
struggling wildly. He is in the most uncomfortable of positions. He glares murderously
up at Ghirahim. "I've longed for this moment to see you so helpless: a
lamb for the slaughter."
Maltzar tenses and I hold him back.
"Take me, Maltzar." I say,
"Take my hilt." I open my chest gem and reveal the handle of the
Master Sword. "By the will of my Master, I will let you wield me this
once."
I can tell Maltzar doesn't like the idea
of "using" me, as he would put it. But his hesitation breaks when
Ghirahim speaks.
"I have a gift for you, Link. Since
you have been the poison to all our plans, I will now make you instead our
remedy."
Maltzar draws the Master Sword and
charges silently. Ghirahim turns catching my blade against his black rapier.
"Sword Hunter!" he spits.
Maltzar parries him and goes for a stab. I taste bitter blood as my edge bites
into Ghirahim's side. Then with one fell swoop, Maltzar swings me and shatters
the black cage around my Master. He is free. Maltzar tosses me to him.
"Yours to finish!" He says.
Ghirahim pounces on him.
"No!" I flip out of the sword.
"If you won't join us, Link. I'll
make you fight your friends!" Ghirahim hisses. And with that he forces a
mask onto my Maltzar's face. A heart shaped mask with purple and red tribal
designs and big frightening yellow eyes.
"NO!" Link charges but it is
too late. Maltzar falls to his knees clawing at it, trying to get it off, but
the wood is forming to his face, merging with his skin.
"Welcome to our side, Sword
Hunter." Ghirahim taunts. A tortured scream rushing out of Maltzar. Link
swipes at Ghirahim but he vanishes in a splash of diamonds. "I'm no longer
your worries, Link" his voice laughs on the air. "Maltzar is...or
should I say...Majora?" His lips are at my ear whispering the name. I
swipe at him again and he disappears.
"Mal?" I say fearfully. He has
stopped moving. The vibrant colours of the mask now paint his whole body. His
eyes are crazed and yellow. And his hair has turned into a long mane of red
tentacles that writhe. He gets to his feet, tall and muscular. Perhaps a bit
more than before. A deep sound, breathes out of him and breaks into laughter
like distant thunder. Link readies himself, his brow anguished.
"FREE!" Majora screeches, his
eyes wide and piercing. "FREE WITH THE LIFE OF A NEW PUPPET! A STRONG
PUPPET! HA HA AHA HAAAA!" he contorts as if the laughter hurts him.
Suddenly his eyes are green and frightened.
"L-Link!" Maltzar chokes, spit
stringing from his trembling lip.
"SEE IF YOU CAN BRING YOURSELF TO
KILL THIS ONE!" cackles Majora, his eyes flashing yellow again. "DO
YOU HAVE IT IN YOU? COULD YOU? WOULD
YOU DESTROY THIS LIFE? SO INNOCENT! SO HELPLESS? HAAA HA HAAHAH AAAAA!"
He falls at Link's feet, clawing at him
like a drowning man. It's Maltzar.
"Link! Help me!" He gasps tears
running down his patterned face. "Make her stop! Make it stop! Please!"
He begs. "Kill me!" He falls back laughing as he kicks and struggles
as if pierced by invisible weapons.
"OH LISTEN TO HIM PINE! LISTEN TO
HIM SQUEEL!" Majora laughs while Maltzar's body shakes and squirms. I am
crying. I can't stop the sound from coming out of me.
"Link! She's gonna- Aaaaaaah! Kill
me now! Do it! -Before she-" His chest thrusts and he opens with a silent
scream. Link slowly raises the Master Sword. I jump in front of him.
"Master, forgive me, but I won't let
you."
"She's torturing him," Link
says. "And do you realize how dangerous Majora is?" he asks, but I
can see the pain on his face. "She...she is weak. This may be our only
chance."
"No, she is already too strong for
us. But there is another way." I say. Maltzar shakes and convulses, whiplashing
his head into the ground, frothing at the mouth. I am having trouble keeping it
together. Majora is torturing him...for fun, while she drinks up his life force
for herself.
"We must find the rival mask of
power of the spirit Fiirce: The Fierce Deity Mask!" tears run down my
face. "There may be a way to save Maltzar without killing him- please,
Master!"
Link swallows. I see he's shaking.
"And if I lose my soul to Fiirce,
what then?" he asks.
"I will be there to pull you
out." I say, confident despite my tears.
"Where is it?"
"Termina- beyond the outer
islands."
He sheaths me.
"Let's go." We run.
"FLEE!" Majora howls. "RUN
WHILE YOU CAN!" He rises smiling, gobs of spit flying from his teeth.
"BUT YOU WON'T GET FAR!" he points shaking with excitement. "FOR
I WILL CONSUME...CONSUME EVERYTHING!" He cackles throwing back his head,
arms outstretched. Rumbling trickles down from the sky. We look up and stop.
The moon! The moon that had just risen with the evening was swelling before our
eyes. It ignites with a blaze like the sun and bits fly off like shooting
stars. The moon is falling.